Fresh Direct Sucks!! (Part 2 of 2)
I will never order from Fresh Direct again.
It turns out that their 100% satisfaction guarantee has a little wrinkle: they guarantee your satisfaction, except when they don’t feel like it because the item is too expensive. As described in my previous post on this topic, I had afforded Fresh Direct a huge amount of slack in terms of the quality of their products because they always seemed willing to credit my account for anything that arrived rotten, broken, stale, moldy, etc. Based on this policy I had become increasingly willing to venture further afield of the products that I would consider “safe.” My general tendency would be to avoid any product that might suffer from sitting in a truck all day (even a refrigerated truck), but I had begun to experiment with more fragile items — more delicate greens, prepared foods, seafood, etc. Why not? They will always take it back if it’s no good. It was in this spirit that I added $40 worth of King Salmon to yesterday’s order.
Even before it was open, there was something about the leaky fish-pack that emerged from the delivery box that did not bode well. Inside the package, the filets were just… wrong. They had none of the shine and firmness that fresh fish is supposed to have. Instead, the flesh was a kind of pallid coral color and seemed to fall apart in my hands. We won’t discuss the odor. So, I did what I always do when this happens: I chucked the offending foodstuff down the building’s incinerator chute and got on the phone with customer service lickety-split. But, no, this was not like the other times… The customer service rep informed me that their in-house “microbiologist” would have to pick up the stinky fish and determine the cause of spoilage before they would issue me a credit. I protested that, in previous cases, an actual return of the item was never required and was not possible in this case because it had already been discarded. I was informed that I should have read the Customer Agreement, in which Fresh Direct clearly reserves the right to require return of the product before issuing credits. Gimme a break.
I’ll spare you the rest of the saga. In the end, I was able to pry a 50% credit out of them, but not before raising a stink that was, ironically, comparable to the stink of the discarded salmon. Here’s what should have happened:
– In every previous communication regarding a spoiled or broken item, Fresh Direct should have reminded me that, although they might not be exercising it at the moment, they reserve the right to ask for the item back before issuing a credit to me. In other words: “Don’t through it away until after you speak with us.” By failing to do this, they, in-effect, trained me to do the opposite.
– The customer service rep should have taken the 4 seconds required to look up my customer record and see that I am a regular customer who is admittedly picky about certain things (based on my record of returned items), but is probably not trying to cheat the company out of $40 worth of salmon.
Now I am as frustrated and furious with Fresh Direct as I was pleased and satisfied with them prior to this experience… All because of a vaguely defined, poorly communicated, and inconsistently implemented customer service plan.
NG
January 29th, 2006 at 1:45 pm
I have had very mixed experience with Fresh Direct. Today – they ar ean hour late…it’s absolutely infuriating. I gave up on the fish, cold cuts andvegetables a LONG time ago…very random. They suck – that’s the bottom line. The prices have gone up – there’s a fuel surcharge and the delivery charge went up a dollar a long time ago. Basically- they are NOT worth waiting around for when you live in NYC.
March 29th, 2006 at 11:07 pm
Fresh Direct SUCKS!!!! they have messed up every order we have placed and told us three times they would send someone to pick up the times in the evening. I have paid employees to stay and wait a little later in the evening for a driver and three days straight they did not come and NEVER CALLED. only when I called did they say I was to be told WHEN I CALLED that they werent gonna make it. WHAT? that happened three days straight. So I sit here with rotten food waiting for a refund on items they won’t come pick up. And of course refunds can only be issued AFTER they pick items up. DO NOT USE THEM.
August 4th, 2006 at 11:27 am
I ordered from FD for delivery today. They came earlier than scheduled, which happened to be fine, but could be a nightmare. It was an order for more than $300.00, and they didn’t include a box, roughly 1/6 of my order was missing. I called customer “service” and was told there was no way for the missing items to be delivered today, even though the missing items were the entire purpose for placing the order in the first place!! I expressed that I REALLY needed the items TODAY and they said all they could do was credit the missing items, which have yet to be credited, or deliver tomorrow. If I had wanted/was able to have delivery tomorrow, that is when I would have scheduled it for!!
This is the third time they have messed up, including broken items (sour cream- all over everything else in the box….) and delivery SEVERAL HOURS after the scheduled delivery due to “traffic.”
Frest DIrect is a good idea in theory and when it works, but the practical aspects suck about once every four deliveries from my experience.
August 7th, 2006 at 6:48 pm
Yea, I’m not a huge fan. First, I can’t stand waiting around for my groceries to show up – half the time I don’t show up and lose the money. But secondly, Saturday I got peaches and today (Monday) I came home to find that they were rotten. Not pleased.
Fresh Direct is a crap shoot. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s not. But to be honest, I just would rather go to Fareway or Whole Foods these days. It’s a bitch, but the inconvenience of dealing with Fresh Direct is the worse of two evils.
The only benefit I had of ordering Fresh Direct was I could order loads of water and not have to carry it back from the grocery store. Well, on my last order, they did not send the water. Er.
August 29th, 2006 at 6:22 pm
i have used fresh direct for years and i am sick of it. i have had the same experiences as all the other posters…yogurt broken and all over everything in the box, leaking milk cartons, spoiled deli meats i was scared to eat(slimy(, and so often missing items. BUT TODAY was worst of all. they were running late so they sent the order over in an unrefrigerated van!!!!!! all the frozen items including 4 pints of ice cream were COMPLETELY DEFROSTED…I mean drinkable!!! and you cannot refreeze ice cream it makes big yucky crystals….and all the milk was room temperature…the who;e order was WARM…not even chilled…room temperature!!! i will NEVER order from them ever again. even with the credits back, not worth the trouble. they have removed the phone number from their website…GEE TOO MANY COMPLAINTS????? well, here is the phone number: 866-771-5272
October 7th, 2006 at 12:20 pm
FD is terrible. I used to live in Chi where they had Peapod which is muc better.
October 9th, 2006 at 10:05 am
I am tired of Fresh Direct’s arrogance. I have had a few bad products and they are quick to make restitution but the most annoying part about them is that they have removed their phone number from their site so when a delivery is late you are totally screwed. Well their number is buried in their customer agreement. Call 866-283-7374. The arrogance of making it impossible to make immediate contact when you are waiting for something to be delivered is so high handed and unwelcome. For me it is off to the Farmers Market on Saturday, more exercise that way and I intend to support my local supermarket.
October 23rd, 2006 at 8:41 pm
I think I have ordered from Fresh Direct for the last time. I have never gotten an order that did not have a problem with it. Tonight I received three small oranges at $1.29 each, they are all green and have damaged skins. I would never select these pieces of fruit from Fairway, where I would get larger pieces of fruit at cheaper prices.
October 28th, 2006 at 2:48 pm
No more Fresh Direct!
Due to lack in time I ordered groceries for our family of four thru Fresh Direct after a 6 months hiatus. Back in April I had sworn myself that I would never use FD again after having received spoiled salmon as well as spoiled meat. But life gets in the way sometimes, so we placed an order with FD on Thursday for Friday delivery. We also sent an email to them expressing that we really hoped they would go beyond and above to gain our trust again.
Well, gues what? They didn’t make any effort whatsoever! Surprise, surprise. The cans are dented, the olives resemble olive pate, the meat is horrible, the hamburger patties squashed because someone put a heavy item ON TOP of them, I guess I don’t need to go on. Sent them an email with all the problems last night, and now it is Saturday afternoon, and still have to hear back from them. Again, no surprise there. What is up with these people? Don’t they realize that they are losing a good chunck of money from me alone? I did the math, and they just lost about $5,500 if our family of four (including two growing boys) placed on order with them every week for an entire year. And this is from our family alone, not to mention from other customers they have lost due to their mediocre service. One would think with Fairway as well as Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods in Union Square they would step up to the plate to remain competitive.
Screw the convinience factor, it’s back to driving to Fairway in Red Hook no matter how exhausted I am from work and caring for the kids. At least I save myself the aggravation and disappointment.
August 9th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
All,
A new website, which will compete with FD opened its doors. I ordered from them and really liked it: food was fresh, packaging was not excessive, and prices are cheapers, and the selection was bigger. So, I highly recommend it, plus here is my discount code, which give you 30% off your order. The company is called breadnbrie.com – check them out.
March 2nd, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Let me share with you what I just had to write to FD customer service. Excuse any typos, I am still calming down…
“I cannot describe my shock adequately but I will try. The deliveryman just THREW my frozen goods at me. THREW them. He was muttering while coming up the stairs that I had called the dispatch to ask where my delivery was (since it was 10:30 [end of delivery time] and it had not yet arrived). Not only that but you will not find my signature on the slip because they just threw my frozen bag at me, despite my open arms to take that and the other box; tossed my case of water on the floor and walked away, all the while still muttering.
I have heard that FD has had to cut some corners lately, and yes, the last 6 orders I have received have had something missing or rotten, but I had no idea you were hiring people of such low quality that would throw boxes at a woman, a customer or anyone for that matter.
This is unacceptable. I will be posting this story on any available blog or review site so that other people can avoid having their groceries thrown at them.”
July 11th, 2008 at 2:58 am
Hi, was wondering if anyone has an e-mail address for FD because I just wrote an e-mail about how one of their delivery trucks, whose license plate no. I copied down, swerved towards me while I was on a bike minding my own business, passed within inches of my head, and swerved away. Then when I stopped to write down their #, they yelled catcalls at me and acted really belligerent. But I’ve been having trouble finding a place to send this e-mail. Should I just call them? Do they have an e-mail address?
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Well I have tried, and I am patient, but enough of the BS. Client Service is waiting until the last minute every time for their convenience of a 2 hr window. Conveniently missing items, or delivering defrosted food that is now mangled and barely edible. Sure credit me back, this is just what I wanted after waiting all night for items that are just not worth it. If most of it is a waste or missing, what service did I get? Who got the $43.00 of items I did not anyway? Do they really just miss an entire box and not know it. Who runs this place and why do I see so many people just allowing this. Stop the madness people. Enough BS.
May 6th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
[...] posts about Fresh Direct customer service (the first one positive, and the second one negative), continue to draw significant traffic and comments to CoFactors. Not necessarily all that relevant [...]
May 19th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Always parking in no parking zone always leaving the compressor on wright out side my kitchen window ,I have to shut all my window because of the noise and fumes fresh direct please go out of business soon
May 27th, 2009 at 8:27 am
All of the above FD descriptions have occurred with our family as well. It is UNBELIEVABLE, THAT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE AWFUL DISASTER STORIES has happened to us at one time or another. Time for fresh direct to go out of business like the rest of companies who lose there edge with declining quality control.
November 7th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Rotten food all the time. Probably why i got sick at times! Ughhh!
May 22nd, 2010 at 8:46 am
Fresh Direct opened in my area — White Plains — and I decided to give them a try with my $100 introductory coupon (which turns out to be $50 for two $125 minimum purchases). OK so far, but after spending about 40 mins navigating their site and making a list, I was unable to sign up…I kept getting a message “experiencing technical difficulties, try again later.” So I did, again and again…several weeks apart. They also provided a number for help with signup…it is a messenging center. You know the drill…on hold with repetitive music for 15 minutes, then little Mary Sunshine who works for the center…then two days later a call from a supervisor about the email message you sent…then telephone tag. I gave up and went to Costco for instant gratification. Probably cheaper, but it does take time. Yes, Fresh Direct sucks.
October 29th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
I have been using fresh direct for a few years, on and off. I’m currently pregnant and became very dependent on delivery of my goods. Unfortunately, Fresh Direct does not seem to care too much about customer satisfaction. After speaking with a supervisor, I still was unable to resolve the situation. The driver went to the wrong address, and they were not willing to reschedule during a time I am available. I guess I’m going to have go back to getting better quality from Whole Foods (and cheaper delivery)…
November 30th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
I ordered a rack of veal in my last order because I thought and you advertised that you have butcher that butchers the meat. I paid over $200 for these chops, not butchered except by me and most of the chop is in my garbage bag.
When I first shopped at Fresh Direct, my orders came in perfect, beautifully pack aged. Last order my strawberries were crushed because chops were boxed on top of strawberries.
I am not looking for refunds but I am asking you for a refund on these chops. They’re disgusting. If you want I will be very happy to return the other five chops.
The chop I just butchered is going into the garbage.
December 17th, 2010 at 8:37 am
I have read most of the posts and the entire blog and it seems to me that most of you are just spoiled ignorent people. First, they did not remove the phone number from the website – its on the “contact us” page (imagine). Second, its not the fault of the company, FreshDirect or otherwise, if they give you the customer agreement and you dont read it, and then have problems with their policies. STOP COMPLAINING!!! most of the world cannot get their food delivered to them, they have to do their shopping and cart the food home. You should consider yourselves lucky to be able to have a company that has a 100% satisfaction gaurantee, and most of the time doesnt even ask for proof that the item was broken or spoiled.
August 14th, 2011 at 5:14 pm
It sucks… For two consecutive days they are unable to deliver my order. Why?… no one can give a reasonable explanation. No supervisor is available on their customer support line. This is not a business.
November 22nd, 2011 at 10:55 pm
fresh direct loyal customer……won’t use them again
they GUARENTEE a delivery slot for chefs table customers…except when volume is too high and then they apologize they can’t live up to their guarentee..
very disappointing.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:25 pm
I’ve used FD for 7 years and only had to call customer service twice… one time a box was missing, apparently a yogurt exploded in transit and they didn’t feel comfortable delivering it so they credited me. The other time, same sort of story, but when I argued that they were possibly ruining my Thanksgiving dinner they delivered the missing products the next day (obviously waiving the delivery fee). We use them at work now as well, and though the work delivery fee is hefty, have had no issue with goods or service.
As far as freshness, I find their food ratings to be very accurate- if you choose to buy something they rate as fair rather than very good, you may get bad produce. Many people do not seem to understand the importance of cooking in season produce- out of season produce is being shipped from warmer climates and more likely to be damaged.
Overall, living in an area of Queens with NO grocery store closer than a few miles, and a deli that offers not much more than cold cuts and pasta, I could not survive healthily without FreshDirect. I enjoy their “What’s Good” suggestions, telling you what’s in season and often offering discounts on these items, and I really enjoy their local offerings. I am shocked to read these reviews and agree with Megan that you sounds like a bunch of spoiled brats.
February 10th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
FreshDirect truck damages my Jeep while making a 3 maybe 4 point turn on my street. And the driver flees the scene.
The rubber part of the bumper on the rear corner of the truck hit my Jeep’s rear hatch so hard that it left a huge ding.
My Jeep is 2 months old! By the time I heard the car alarm and got out of the apartment he left. Now I have to get it fixed on my dime or watch my insurance rate escalate. Did the FreshDirect driver think that no one would see his crime? I will get restitution from this crime against my property no matter how long it takes.
The FreshDirect delivery truck comes every Thursday morning so I can wait, I live here.
Can you guess what I am doing now, Police Report…